Part one
Welcome to Aetherius

They watched the mountains rise as Oblivion lifted high into the sky. They watched as the earth fell away to the bottom of the lands. They watched as towers spun into the heavens and, as the ethereal beings watched the success of Oblivion, they summoned me.

Let me tell you, my brothers and sisters of Aetherius, for I have ever so briefly glimpsed its beauty. I must tell you of this happening and allow you to decide your course, as your struggle and pain will surely follow mine. While struggle we may have, together we will gain more than we could ever imagine, not only for us, but for all of Zolaria.

Now close your eyes and hear of my time in Aetherius.

Gazing over the lands, they saw the sprawling town of Braavos, the underwater haven of Rapture, the towering mountains of Paragon and the mighty walls of Verstad, and they knew they had found their champions.

“Hello my vessel,” one of the beings said as it approached me. Its approach is strange, for although it had shape it did not seem to use its legs as it gracefully floated closer. I did not fear it, for I could feel a great benevolence radiating from its aetheric form.

“We have summoned you here with a great task that we shall entrust upon you. We are the creators of this realm and we have been awaiting a champion since the age of creation.”

I stood in silence trying to take in everything that was happening. Stars were crossing the heavens at amazing rates and I could see through the multi-colored fog that drifted everywhere; what looked to be a sun being born.

The being watched me for a long moment before continuing. “Long ago, when we set to make this mortal realm, dark forces watched us from afar. We were bold and thought our powers great enough to ignore them, but with the creation of Zolaria, those forces set in motion a powerful enchantment that bound our own energy to the land, weakening us enough to contain us here in Aetherius. It is that enchantment that binds your own being to the lands after your death and recreates you to continue on.”

I was stunned. I had heard many myths as to how Zolaria’s hold on its people was so strong, but I could feel the truth in this being’s words.

He continued: “You are all one with us as we are one with the rest, but the bonds that hold us must be broken so this evil can be pulled from the shadows, and removed from Zolaria forever. We have seen the strength in you and yours, and have chosen you to undertake this task.”

I felt my spine straighten as my body tensed at the idea of our immortality and the possibility of our world being destroyed.

“You need not worry yourself, young one. Breaking the bonds will not harm Zolaria, but in fact will heal her. The beings that interrupted the creation and bound us have done so to take control of Zolaria. That is why the undead freely roam and why the evils seem never ending. They have attempted to take over the lands for many ages, but, while they bound us, they did not realize it would bind all of our children as well. Due to the children of Zolaria being immortal these dark forces have never been able to claim the world as its own.

“I task you, Eldrylars, that on the eve of the third age, you and yours will find yourself in a new and strange land. A land wild and untamed. A land full of extreme dangers and evils. In this new land, you must take hold. Be ready for struggle beyond. The evil forces will certainly bring your own brothers and sisters to bear against you. Do not hate your brethren for their betrayal, for they will have been foolishly deceived by the powers of the evil force.

“To weaken the enchantment you must assemble four centers of power that will channel the energy of this feral land, allowing us to regain some of our powers. These centers must work in cohesion to succeed, as if they are four pieces of one whole, instead of four separate pieces. Once this has happened, we will be able to open the gateway to the land that links Aetherius and Zolaria. This ancient land has been frozen in time from the earliest days of creation and once the gates are open, the real battles will begin. When our presence is felt in Zolaria, the forces that wish to control it and destroy its people will be forced to show themselves. It is then that the fate of the worlds will be decided.

“You now know our task. You know the dangers and you can envision the rewards: a Zolaria that can grow peacefully with all of her children for all time. Follow us, brothers and sisters of Zolaria, and let us free our world from this evil!

Prepare yourselves, for on the eve of the third age, we shall be forever changed; tasked with the greatest destiny one could ever be given!

“The Aetherius Dominion will rise and the people of Zolaria will be freed!”

Part two
The Gathering

It is late in the evening and the moon is already high in the sky. The building is barely lit, dark enough that several of the travelers lose their footing more than once. Many bodies are travelling these halls this evening, all heading towards a room at the back of the building. There is a dry taste to the air, and all the smells one would expect in an old building, both good and bad, are missing. Each time the door to the room opens, a thick fog seems to ever so briefly escape into the hall, making it harder to breath.

A heavy atmosphere hangs over the travellers as they shuffle into the room. The room is bare but for an octagonal table which has two seats on seven of eight sides. The travellers find their places among the fourteen seats, with their armored companions standing alertly in the shadows behind them. The figures hold themselves in somber attentiveness, yet there is a tense unease that hung in the air.

The sentinels stand with a hand on their blades, their eyes watching the corners of the room, but furtively watching one another.

As the last seat is filled, the door silently swings shut and is bolted by an unseen hand. The heaviness of the room doubles, making the pressure so great that one of the men standing at arms briefly starts to heave and choke.

Three figures emerge from the darkness of the corners of the room, surrounded by the shadow of some oppressive fog. The figures appear to glide rather than walk as they convene at the open edge of the table. There is a pause as the three look at each man in turn. And then they speak.

“We have summoned the most powerful and wise leaders of these lands, to propose an alliance that will grant glory, riches and influence to those brave enough to take it.”

They speak not alone but together, their voices echoing each others’ words, increasing to a low rumble that seems to wrap around the room. Their voices are low and dragging, almost guttural, and as they speak the stench of decay wafts from their mouths. A few of the men shuffle uncomfortably, and one individual sitting nearest the figures retches into his hand. Yet the greed and desire is unmistakable in their eyes as they stare fixedly at the three figures.

“Let us start by becoming,” the three pause for the briefest moment, “friends.” As the words leave their lips, the slightest of smirks can be caught by one with a keen eye.

“Around this table we have Koen of Silvermede, Glacial of Lux, Zen of Genesis, Raekin of Ambercove, Multis of Firecrest, Guardian of Aldenshire, Vongard of Legacy, Dwarfers of Raubtier, Reecon of Atlantis, Ravynn of Demons Wood, Lumont of Umbra, Werwew of Incendus, and Beastt of Port Royal. Now that we are all friends,” at this the three glance sideways at one another, “let us continue. A great enemy is attempting to return to our world, and if it is to succeed it will take away all our powers and destroy all we hold dear.” A pause. “See for yourself the destruction they wrought on your old empires, your homes.”

A scene materializes in the center of the table showing the ruins of the once great Bastion keep and of their homes seemingly melted into the grounds and absorbed back into the lands. Gasps and angry murmurs resound around the table.

“These enemies are ours as well, which makes us allies of a common cause. We invite you all to share in the glory, power and riches that will come with the destruction of the enemy.”

Several of those seated at the table glance back and forth between each other, as the rest of the table stare fixedly at the three speakers.

“Whether you walk together or alone is unimportant to us. The only thing that matters is the enemies’ destruction. The power can be split several ways, or all can be obtained by one, it is up to you to choose your allies.”

This time every person at the table glances around, sizing up their neighbours. As they sit in silence, one stands and walks towards the door, turning her back to the congregation.

“Ravynn, leaving so soon?” the three ask.

Turning to keep her back to the wall, Dakinara following closely behind, she says, “We will not be a part of your army, we will not bend knee to you!”

The three seem amused. Suddenly Ravynn and Dakinara groan as they fall to their knees facing the three.

“What was that, dear?” the three mock, as an invisible force holds Ravynn to the floor. “There is no escaping your destiny, Ravynn. You and yours will fight for our cause. You have no power to resist and if you try you will all suffer greatly.”

Ravynn and Dakinara struggle to get up, but they are not able to break the bonds that hold them. From across the table snickering can be heard from Koen and Vongard as Ravynn struggles uselessly.

“As you can see, we are the ones with the ultimate power here, and you will do as you are instructed.”

While the three are talking, Dwarfers glances back to Grey before leaping forward with lightning speed, his sword blazing with the intense light of his soul fire. As his sword is about to meet its mark on the nearest of the three, they each lift a hand faster than any would think possible and Dwarfers shoots backwards, crashing hard into the wall at the back of the room and crumpling to the floor.

Grey whispers something under his breath and a bolt of lightning shoots from his hand at the three, but it is absorbed harmlessly into the dreadful fog that surrounds them. Within the blink of an eye Grey lies crumpled on the floor next to Dwarfers. The three look back across the table.

“Is there anyone else with something to say?”

There is silence as the reality of their positions sink in. No one else stands or attempts to speak.

“I am glad we have an understanding. Now back to business.” A dark glow starts to swirl in the center of the table, drawing all eyes toward it.

“Sit.” Ravynn, Dakinara, Dwarfers, and Grey rise up from the floor and solemnly make their way back to their seats, as marionette dolls pulled by their strings.

“The enemy, although strong, is still too weak to manifest on this world. Instead they have recruited those that were once called the Legion of Oblivion, from your previous lands. The enemy is responsible for the destruction of your old homes and now they plot to destroy the rest of the world.”

Images of the leaders of the Legion flash in the misty light above the table. While watching the images, anger and fear flash across the faces of several of those at the table. Glacial forces a smile and says, “Oblivion is nothing, if that is all this enemy has to offer then we have already won.” A titter of annoyance passes between the three.

“We see your arrogance is as strong as ever. Have you forgotten your failures? Have you forgotten how you fell, twice to Oblivion in the tournements? Have you forgotten the countless battles you lost in the fields? Everyone at this table has failed in their attempts to outplay the Legion. I can assure you all, that you will fail again without our assistance.” More discomfort crosses the faces of those at the table.

“We will assist in your training by showing you vast mountains and huge caverns where the undead flourish, we will assist you on your way to hell to gather the riches that can be found there, and we will assist you in regaining the riches and power that was once stolen from you. Power and riches will come to the lord or lords who conquer the enemy. We will be watching you, and will either reward or punish you, based on your successes or failures.” Once again those at the table look amongst themselves.

“The name that the enemy goes by is the Aetherius Dominion, and although they have lost many of their great warriors, they have already grown stronger than all of you. You must train, and with our resources, you will gain strength quickly. Then you must stop the enemy before they get any stronger.”

There is a rush of fog into the room and the pressure of the air triples. The lords are blinded, and several choke. Over the next few minutes the fog dissipates and the pressure in the room subsides, alleviating the sense of weight pressing down on those around the table.

The three figures were gone.

One by one, the people at the table gather themselves to make their way out of the building. Vangard laughs as he passes by Ravynn, and says, “Good luck with Aetherius while you are lying on the floor. Perhaps I could offer you a more fitting position, as my servant?”

Koen, standing across the room with Werwew, Recon and Multis, yells to Dwarfers, “Such a mighty warrior falling to the floor like a child knocked down by a breeze. Best get used to it as we will take care of you before we finish Aetherius.”

Dwarfers grins at the insult and says, “I look forward to seeing you soon.” He and his escort vanish in a cloud of redstone dust.

Lumont, who has been sitting back and watching the show, laughs loudly. “You and your petty alliances. We do not need the assistance of other as you do. We will crush Aetherius, as well as the rest of you without any of your pathetic hand-holding alliances, and then we will take all the power and riches for ourselves.”

There is obvious amusement on the face of Glacial as he fades into his own cloud of redstone dust.

Moments later the stragglers walk out the door or recall back to their dwellings.

Part three
Aetherean Council

The council chambers are crude but they serve their purpose well. The six sit at the round table going over resource lists and diplomatic papers.

Eldry asks across the table, “The funds, Jonsoon, they seem to be lacking.”

Jonsoon raises an eyebrow and sighs, “Unfortunately even with every member doing his or her part, these souls are hard to come by. Even though we have accumulated more souls than the rest of the lords combined, we have still only gathered twenty thousand of the twenty eight thousand we need.” Eldry nods.

“I understand, and have seen the generosity of our followers first hand and it’s heart warming, but we must be ready soon. Let us run an extra shift so we can get this portion done and out of the way. Zeph, how close are we with the organics and ores?”

Zeph grins as she quickly replies: “Fortunately all the supplies have been gathered! The people are soaking their sore fingers now and will hopefully be able to help with the soul collecting soon.”

“Wonderful!” Eldry responds.

Witchy stands and lays out several sheets of paper on the table as she says, “There is the matter of the alliance proposals. Both Demons Wood and Port Royal are requesting admission to our courts with the intent of proposing formal alliances.”

Those around the table glance at the documents momentarily and then North breaks his silence. “Perhaps more allies would be beneficial at this point? Both Ravynn and Beastt have always been honorable in the past.”

North’s words seem to trail off in a slowed echo. All those at the table start to feel a light airiness about them. The room becomes brighter and brighter, although the source of the white light is not detectable. With the light comes a peaceful and calm feeling. For a brief moment the room is filled with nothing but white light, blinding the six council members.

Gradually the white light fades away and, as the surroundings come into focus, they find themselves in a new place. Stars are flying across the sky and the suns seem closer, brighter and more inviting. For several minutes the Lords stare in amazement. For Eldry, the memories of his last visit to Aetherius came flooding back to him.

“Where is this place?” asks Witchy, her eyes wide, sparkling with the wonder of what she is seeing.
“It’s so beautiful,” Zeph almost whispers.

“We are in Aetherius, my friends,” Eldry responds.

“This, is what we strive for?” Michael asks, while already knowing the answer, but needing to hear it to make it more real.

“Yes, my kin, all beings’ paths eventually lead through such a place,” rings a voice that chimes like bells.

A lovely scent reminiscent of jasmine and lavender fills the space where the six stand. As one, they turn to see a figure floating gently towards them. The figure seems to radiate peace with a light glow that shimmers off its body.

“Welcome to Aetherius my friends. We have much to discuss and very little time.” The being glides swiftly away from them, and feeling a sense of urgency, the six follow without hesitation.

They follow along walkways that seemed to float in a pinkish fog. Through the fog as well as high above, the stars were shining brightly. There was no visible land beneath the walkway or anywhere within their range of view, and although it seemed like the walkway was floating on a cloud, there was no sense of height creating a calm while they traversed it. The sun shines brighter than sunlight in Haven. Its rays shimmer off the surface of the walkway, the light refracting into a multitude of colors, not unlike the iridescence of pearls. After a short distance the walkway ended at a staircase which lead them up and onto a platform. Centered on the platform is a great round table, made from the same pearly material of the road. Around the table are seats suspended in air by some unseen force. The being slides gracefully into one of the seats and gestures for the others to do the same. Within moments all the lords are seated, eyes riveted on the being before them.

“Once again, welcome to Aetherius, my kin,” the being began. “Let me start by introducing myself and my people. We are Aetherean, and long ago we were a people such as yourselves. Our then young world and it’s people, lived in a constant state of struggle and turmoil. We endured for many tens of thousands of years, and eventually we were able to grow past our views of separation, and  realize that we all are truly connected and that at one’s core, each being can not truly able to be distinguished from the next.

“When this realization occurred, it quickly spread across our planet, and barely one hundred years after, not a single one of us could harm another, for we knew that to harm another would be to harm ourselves. Once this understanding was in place and our people were at peace, we started the feel a pull from our world and we started to feel our direct connectedness to our planet as well. Eventually after a long prosperous and peaceful period of learning and growth, our energy merged with that of our worlds, and all beings of Aetherius become one being, one consciousness, composed of millions of personalities.

“That was many millions of your years ago. Now we work with others of our kind to help life start and flourish on younger planets. As you may already know, we were helping in the creation of your planet when we were attacked by dark entities known as the Bhor, and our energy was bound. Now, with your help, we hope to break the bonds made so long ago, so that we can free your world from the entities that have been tormenting it and then continue our work to help others.”

The Aetherean’s eyes shine a wonderful shade of green. The being gazes proudly at the lords, as a parent may gaze at their accomplished children. As its eyes meet each of theirs in turn, they feel a lifting sensation in their chest and are filled with hope.

“There are several things we must tell you before you return, and as I said our time is short. The entities we are fighting against are called the Bhor. They are descendants from another planet that has matured through it’s stages.

“Unfortunately, not all peoples grow with love. Some, such as the Bhor, never realized the connections between themselves, and grew their world through a purely self-interested society. Eventually, when they evolved, instead of becoming one with their people they became more separated and pushed more into war and hatred until only a few remained. Those that did survive these horrible times took their new found powers and absorbed the remaining energies from their planet before it died.

“They have continued to live off the control of other, younger, planets, consuming the energies until the planet and its peoples die off.”

For the first time, a look of deep sadness could be seen in the being’s eyes.

“Many planets have died in this fashion; countless other civilizations have travelled the same path as the Bhor, consuming the energy of other planets for their own growth, and in the process destroying them.” He pauses a moment before continuing.

“The Bhor are very old and very powerful, and for most of those on this planet, they are very dangerous. A fortunate effect of our bonds to this planet allows us to shield you and yours from any direct assault from the Bhor. Unfortunately the Bhor are working around this by recruiting, sometimes forcefully, the other lords and ladies of the land in an attempt to bring their armies to bear against you. Some of these lords are coordinated enough to organize sizable forces, while others are scattered and will most likely be limited to launching small raids. The Bhor also have their own powerful minions that they have created and, of course, the normal creatures you have been fighting for generations.

“Recently the Bhor summoned many of the lords of Haven to a gathering. During this gathering they gained the allegiance of a great number of the lords by convincing them that the destruction of Bastion was our design and your doing.

In a whisper Jonsoon asks, “The destruction of Bastion?”

The Aetherean turns to Jonsoon’s with a look of regret. “Yes, almost all you know of Bastion was lost to the Bhor, and the rest worn away by time.”

Michael, with a look of confusion, responds, “What do you mean, time? We have only been here in Haven for a few weeks now. Certainly that is not enough time for the whole of Bastion to have been destroyed?”

The Aetherean considers for a moment and asks, “Do you remember the floating lands you visited before coming to Haven?”

A few of the lords furrow their brows in concentration. Witchy is the first to reply. “I do remember”, she says slowly. “There were floating island with giant statues and great structures… yet, my memories are misty. I had thought them only a dream.” The rest of the table nods in agreement, straining to remember; they too have such memories.

“That was not a dream, but a sacred, timeless place. For while you cannot die to sword or spell, while on Zolaria, your bodies continue to age as they should, and over time you would would die from that natural progression.”

“During the age of Bastion, Zolaria was not yet ready to have the enchantment broken. Zolaria needed more time to grow and mature, for just as you grow in power and strength over time, so does Zolaria; and it is the power of Zolaria that is needed to break the enchantment. It was at that time that we cast a spell of sorts, to transport the the Legion to that sacred place, to preserve you and yours from the ravages of time while Zolaria finished maturing. The spell was powerful though and brought with it not only those from the old Legion, but  everyone else from Bastion as well.”

The Aetherean pauses for another moment. “The Bhor quickly realized we were behind the sudden disappearance and knew we must be attempting to free ourselves, but they could not determine what had happened or what we were planning. So, they searched and searched, and without the peoples of Bastion there to defend it, most of the cities were burned to the ground. Eventually, all the lands surrounding Bastion were destroyed by the Bhor’s minions.”

Once more, the Aetherean pauses briefly as if to allow for questions, but none of those around the table dare yet speak.

“They searched for over a thousand years, my friends. One thousand years while you were all safely secured in the sacred lands.”

There are gasps from around the table. “One thousand years!” North asks.

“Yes. As we said, Zolaria’s own powers were still too weak and it’s that power and the will of Zolaria itself which are required to break these bonds. Unfortunately, nothing could have been done in the Age of Bastion, and over ten generations of your descendents would have had to struggle to survive until this era, if they were to be successful in breaking the enchantment. Over the years, all but the mighty Bastion keep has returned to its natural state. The great keep was so well built that some of it still stands, but the rest of Bastion as you knew it is gone.”

As the being spoke, an image of bastion keep weaves itself out of pale mist in the center of the table. The once proud walls are covered in moss, cracked and crumbling, and the ground overtaken with wild grass. The pale mist drifts over the image as the scene shifts, sliding away from the ruined keep to the lands beyond, where nothing but thick jungles and long stretches of desert and tundra can be seen.

“This new land you inhabit is also untamed and primal. In fact, Haven is the birthplace of all the people of Zolaria; it was the first land to grow out of Zolaria’s oceans during the planet’s birth. This is why Haven was chosen, for these lands are the only place on Zolaria powerful enough to open the gateway. The gateway we speak of is a portal to a long forgotten land. One not of Zolaria or of Aetherius but a place in between. This land was created when Zolaria was born, creating a link to other worlds for the purpose of growth. It’s through these lands in between our worlds that we can make our way from Aetherius back to Zolaria to help expose and defeat the Bhor.

“Once the energy of Haven can be channelled through the four cities, we can focus it into the gate and activate it. The soul shards you find in these lands are a physical representation of Zolaria’s energy, its growth and its rebirth. When the energy of Zolaria passes from one point to the next it will sometimes take on a physical representation in these shards. These powerful pieces of Zolaria’s energies are useful in many tasks as you have found, but overall, they are a physical link, or a symbol, if you will, of the connection between yourselves and Zolaria. Their collective energies are what is needed most to power the gateway.

“I must now return our conversation to the matters at hand, for we are almost out of time.

“The Bhor have the other lords under their control, no matter how much they may want to resist. For this reason you cannot trust any of them as allies. The protection we are able to give you cannot be extended to save them from the Bhor’s manipulation. We do not ask you to declare any of the good people of these lands as enemies, as we strive for peace for your whole world. We do warn you, however, that taking them into your house will weaken our ability to protect you, and may well bring ruin to our task at hand as well as, perhaps, all of Zolaria.”

The air on the platform vibrates and shimmers and then returns to normal.

“We are out of time my friends. Continue on your current path for you are succeeding in all your goals, and we will contact you as soon as we are able.”

As the Aetherean’s words end the room starts to shimmer again, slowly becoming brighter and brighter until all that can been seen is a pure white light. With the light again came the feeling of peace and airiness that accompanied the first experience. As the light fades the six find themselves sitting at their meeting table, their papers spread out in front of them as before.

They stare at each other, looking for words.

Finally Witchy gathers herself and announces, “I suppose I had best start writing the replies to our would-be allies.”

“Yes,” Eldry responds. “Let them know we regret to decline their requests, but we are not able to enter into any formal agreements at this time. We wish them well on their journey.”

“I will double our efforts to collect the final souls we need to lay claim to Volantis,” Jonsoon exclaims.

“Excellent!” Eldry replies. “Let us depart and continue with our jobs. We have done well, my brothers and sisters! We have a long track ahead of us, but hopefully soon we will see those fruits realized and help to heal our world.”

The six figures stand and bow to each other before heading off to their tasks.

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Stretches of DNA called retrotransposons, often dubbed “junk DNA,” might play an important role in schizophrenia. In a study published online on January 2, 2013 in the journal Neuron, a Japanese team revealed that LINE-1 retrotransposons are abnormally abundant in the schizophrenia brain, modify the expression of genes related to schizophrenia during brain development, and may be one of the causes of schizophrenia. Retrotransposons are short sequences of DNA that autonomously amplify and move around the genome. One class of retrotransposons named Long Interspersed Nuclear Elements (LINEs) make up a large part of the eukaryotic genome and it is believed that they may contribute to a number of disorders and diseases, such as cancer. LINE-1 retrotranspons have been shown to be more abundant in brain cells than in other cells in the body in adults, providing evidence for enhanced activity of LINE-1s in the human brain. However, the role played by LINE-1s in mental disorders, and in particular schizophrenia, has remained unclear. The team led by Dr. Kazuya Iwamoto from the University of Tokyo and Dr. Tadafumi Kato from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute demonstrated that the number of LINE-1 copies is elevated in the post-mortem brains of patients with schizophrenia. They show, using mouse and macaque models for schizophrenia and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, that exposure to environmental risk factors during development, as well as the presence of genetic risk factors for schizophrenia, can lead to increased levels of LINE-1 copies in neurons. Employing whole genome analysis, the authors reveal that in schizophrenia patients LINE-1 reinserts into genes involved in synaptic function or schizophrenia and may result in disruptions in their normal functions.

Scientists Uncover Most Detailed Picture Yet of Muscular Dystrophy Defect, Then Design Targeted New Drug Candidates

Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute (TRSI) have revealed an atomic-level view of a genetic defect that causes a form of muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy type 2, and have used this information to design drug candidates with potential to counter those defects—and reverse the disease. “This the first time the structure of the RNA defect that causes this disease has been determined,” said TSRI Associate Professor Matthew Disney, who led the study. “Based on these results, we designed compounds that, even in small amounts, significantly improve disease-associated defects in treated cells.” Myotonic dystrophy type 2 is a relatively rare form of muscular dystrophy that is somewhat milder than myotonic dystrophy type 1, the most common adult-onset form of the disease. Both types of myotonic dystrophy are inherited disorders that involve progressive muscle wasting and weakness, and both are caused by a type of genetic defect known as an “RNA repeat expansion,” a series of nucleotides repeated more times than normal in an individual’s genetic code. The repeat binds to the protein MBNL1, rendering it inactive and resulting in RNA splicing abnormalities—which lead to the disease. Many other researchers had tried to find the atomic-level structure of the myotonic dystrophy 2 repeat, but had run into technical difficulties. In a technique called X-ray crystallography, which is used to find detailed structural information, scientists manipulate a molecule so that a crystal forms. This crystal is then placed in a beam of X-rays, which diffract when they strike the atoms in the crystal. Based on the pattern of diffraction, scientists can then reconstruct the shape of the original molecule.


Family Constellations Healing from child abuse Parenting Personal Development Self help techniques

What is an entanglement?

An entanglement is an enmeshment with another person that affects your ability to be yourself and do as you please. You are so caught up with the other person that your thoughts and feelings are tangled up with theirs. It is hard to know where you end and the other person starts, there is no boundary or separation, the two people are entwined, tangled together into one messy situation.

This comonly occurs when a child tries to take care of a parent. The child sensing the parent’s pain or inability to cope with their life, steps up and takes responsibility for helping reduce the burden on the parent. This is a reversal of the orders of love – parents are meant to give and children receive.

Happy kidsChildren are meant to grow focussed on life, play, having fun and age appropriate issues. It is not normal for a child to be thinking about adult problems and trying to solve them. But children will do this out of loyalty, out of love and out of a desire to stay safe and keep their home. No matter how dysfunctional or painful a child prefers to stay with its parent, rather than be taken away into the unknown, even if that unknown is a more loving home with other family members or foster parents.

Our loyalty to our biological parents is huge and stays with us our whole life. If we violate that bond, if we judge or reject our parents we feel a loss, an emptiness, a sadness deep inside, as the flow of love from the family line has been blocked. We are refusing to accept our parents and our life as it is. In essence we are saying ‘NO to life’ and we suffer as a result. The life force flowing to us is diminished as we are saying NO to our parents, NO to their love, NO to receiving any energy or support from them. We are saying “NO, you are not good enough, I wanted more, someone different to you”. This is fighting against life, fighting against what is. These are your parents for better or worse, they are your parents. They gave you life and if that is all they gave you it is a true gift. At the very least accept that, be grateful for that.

As we heal we can come to see our parents as not just ‘parents’, but as people with their own issues, challenges and emotional hurts. If we are trying to fix them, change them, influence them, we are still entangled. We are still caught up unhealthily over involved in their energy and trying to control life. This is like standing in front of a dam that is cracking and trying to order the water to stay there, not to move. It won’t work. As the dam cracks the water is going to gush forth, because that is what water does, gravity does.

Your parents have their own lives to lead and it is not our place to judge them or be overly involved in their business, to be entangled like this stops us from living our lives fully. It is best to accept your parents as they are, to say ‘YES to life’, YES to receiving whatever goodness you can get from them and to accept that as all they can give you, to say “That is enough. What you can’t give me I will get from elswhere. Thank you Mum, thank you Dad, you are enough”. When we can say this and mean it we are freed from the entanglement. The love strength and support from the family line can flow to us, helping us, supporting us to live more fully. We are accepting our place in life and letting ourselves receive the goodness from our family line.

Reaching that place of acceptance can be a long journey. It takes time to grieve what could have been, what you felt should have been and to accept what was and is. That is the journey of life. It is true and authentic emotional release work required until you do feel peaceful inside and accepting of your family.

You could choose to stay in judgement and anger over what has happened or hasn’t happened in your life, but this just punishes you and limits you and your ability to live life joyously. Best to untangle the web, to break free and accept what is and make the most out of it. This is one form of entanglement that can have a massive impact on a person’s life.

Another kind of entanglement occurs when a child takes on a burden for the ancestors present or ancient. It can be a sibling not wanting to live fully because they see their brother or sister afflicted with an illness or who died and they feel guilty for living or being able to do what the other could not. In essence they wish to join the lost sibling. This will result in poor health for themself or some other dysfunction in their lives, as in essence they are saying NO to life, NO to goodness, abundance, health and vitality. They are saying I don’t deserve this or I have no right to this. It is self sacrifice out of loyalty, out of love and entanglement with the fate of the other.

Instead of dying for the other choose to stay a while longer, choose to live fully for them, to do what they could not do, to achieve whatever you desire and to join them when it is your proper time. Whether it was a sibling who died young, your parent or your own child, you do not have to follow them into the grave. You can live and hold them in your heart, feel them in your heart. They are there, their energy is available to you. Your ancestors long dead watch you, pray for you and send you love. They want you to succeed and to advance the family line. It is okay to feel your sadness and to move through it back to peace and happiness.

Another type of entanglement which sounds a little more bizarre, occurs with past relatives whom you may not have even met. It is possible that a young woman having difficulties with infertility is actually entangled with a great Aunt who never married. The energetic connection is such that the present soul put up their hand to relate, to repeat the pattern that occurred in the family line. The same occurs with members of the family who suffered tragedies such as loss of a loved one, death, murder, suicide, etc. A present family member who is connected to the past ancestor may also have suicidal thoughts or mental health problems, they may have financial difficulties or other challenges in life.

Sometimes it is as if the current family member is atoning for the sins of the previous ancestor – they struggle to make up for the wrong doing of the other. In different situations it is as if the family member present today chooses the same fate out of love for the other, wanting to empathise with them. Either way it is not helpful to the present person and it hinders their ability to live their life fully.

When the entanglement is identified and healed the person is free to live how they like. They can consciously honour the past family member and their fate, but choose to be free of the entanglement now, with love and respect, bowing to the ancestor and leaving it with them. This is core Family Constellations work and it is beautful to watch these resolutions occur and people being freed from the knots that have bound them and limited their ability to enjoy their lives. With the knots untied they can walk forward easily to do what they wish, without hindrance. May we all walk freely and enjoy our lives. Blessed BE. Amen.

By Jodi-Anne (18 September 2016).
Family Constellations Healing from child abuse Parenting Self help techniques

What is the family soul?

reflective-treeThe family soul is the collective energy that surrounds a lineage of people from the same family. It contains all the memories and experiences of everyone in the family.

When there is trauma or exclusion a wound occurs to the family soul, a distortion of the energy, so instead of love flowing through the family line, pain now flows from the ancestors to the current and future generations. This also occurs when the orders of love are reversed, for instance if a parent is absent and a child does not receive the nurturing and connection it needs. The absence may be due to war, abandonment, physically if a child is given up for adoption or if a parent themselves is sick, unavailable emotionally or physically. When a parent is ill or emotionally unavailable, often the child will try to ‘give’ to the parent to help them cope or feel better. The child takes on responsibilities that are not theirs to carry – it may be helping out a lot around the house or caring for the other children or even caring for the parent. The orders of love are reversed in this instance as the flow of energy is child to parent, instead of it being the parent giving and the child receiving.

It also occurs when someone is excluded from the family, because everyone does belong to the family system, no matter what they have done. Excluding someone is like throwing a block, a big boulder into the flow of the family soul, the river of lifeforce energy flowing to all people. The block diminishes the amount of energy available to all people. Worse it creates a tear in the fabric of the family soul that will only be healed when that excluded person is bought back into your heart. If this does not occur, someone in future generations will subconsciously choose to relate to the excluded person and will end up feeling like they are not accepted or don’t belong, they will repeat the fate of the excluded individual as the family system attempts to heal the wound.

It is just like our personal journeys where life presents us with a repeating situation until we learn the lesson. This is the same thing, but at the family level. Discovering this enables those who are suffering to resolve it by welcoming the excluded person back into their heart, energetically welcoming them back to the family system and restoring them to their rightful place. This allows the lifeforce energy to then flow freely again to all members. This occurs at the soul level, energetic level, it does not have to be physically and often it is an ancestor long dead who was excluded and in need of reconnection to their rightful place in the family.

If there has been trauma in the family system, be it war, violence in the home, tragedy from loss of children, divorce, early death of parents, etc then this trauma can also pass through the family system to the current and future generations. It is as if the unresolved pain seeps through the blood of all involved instead of love, strength and support. This too can be healed so that those affected are freed from their over reactions to situations, the inappropriate feelings or thoughts they may have that don’t seem to be appropriate or consistent with their life experiences. For instance persistent suicidal thoughts or depression or anxiety could actually be resulting from entanglements with past family members, you are feeling their feelings, they are not actually your thoughts. These cease once the wound in the family soul is healed by acknowledging the tragedy, the loss and giving it it’s rightful place, allowing all to feel and move through the situation, instead of being stuck and controlled by it.

The family soul is a container of energy around all members of the same lineage, when all is well in a family you can feel the flow of love, flowing from the ancestors to yourself and the other current family members. This energy strengthens you, supports you and encourages you to live your life as you wish to do so, for you are the leading edge of consciousness, the person now evolving while here on Earth and expanding the consciousness within the family. The ancestors want you to succeed and do well, they want you to thrive and advance the family line. This is life as it was meant to be. This support is available once you heal any blockages to its flow. It is worth doing and quite easy when you know how.

There are many methods that can help. Family constellations is one of these, where the field supplies the information about what is missing and blocked and needs to be resolved within the family system. The challenge then is to feel what needs to be felt, forgive all involved and welcome them back into your heart. It is a similar task to our personal issues, just with some larger influences. It is a part of our evolution, our connectedness and oneness with the fabric of life. So be it. Amen.

By Jodi-Anne (15 September 2016).
Family Constellations Parenting Relationships Self help techniques

Why do we inherit family trauma?

Trauma that cannot be processed by one family member, because it is overwhelming, they do not have the skills or knowledge of how to process it, or do not have the will to feel it and release it, will be passed on genetically to the next generation. It also of course affects the rest of the current generation due to the unavailability of the traumatised person who will be isolated within themselves, possibly numb emotionally and distant in their ineracting with others, be they their children or siblings.

Trauma stays within the body and freezes part of the person’s energy, it is literally stuck, frozen in time within them, locked into when the trauma occurred. It stays in the body until it is processed and if it is not processed then it remains locked in place, creating internal tension and dis-ease.

No individual wants this to occur or be passed on to their existing children or grand children. It is not an intentional thing, it is an automatic thing. If Dad has died in the war then Mum is going to be mourning, she is not going to be able to be present fully for the children or meet their emotional needs. The children will sense Mum’s pain and feel their own loss and mourning, so they will try to get Mum to feel better, so they can get the attention they need. If it doesn’t work they eventually give up trying and switch off, shut down emotionally, feeling empty, unloved, unsatisfied with life.

The pattern then repeats when they marry and try to get the attention they missed out on from their husband or wife. No matter how loving the partner is, they cannot make up for the emotional pain or love deficit from their partner’s childhood, so it will feel unloving or not enough. They may try hard to give enough, to do extra, be extra affectionate and giving, they may try to fill that hole in their partner. Eventually they realise no matter what they do it is not enough, it doesn’t work and they are exhausted from trying, so they switch off, shut down, isolate and become emotionally numb as well, so the pattern continues. No malice, no cruelty, just life when there is trauma within one or both partners in a relationship.

So how do you resolve it? By becoming aware of the trauma within, by creating a safe enough space that you can feel it, acknowledge it and let it dissolve. By seeing your defense mechanism and games you have used to protect yourself from it.

  • Have you kept yourself so busy that you can’t feel?
  • Have you been saving the world, feeling righteous putting all your energy into others or a cause, but neglecting yourself, avoiding yourself and your inner world?
  • Have you been pleasing others, doing for others, hoping that they will love and accept you and you will feel that you are okay, lovable and worthwhile?
  • Have you been isolating yourself from others, keeping a low profile, so as not to be seen or to avoid any possible further trauma? By being preoccupied with avoiding it, you stay stuck in it and will have difficulty exeriencing any joy in life.

There are many defensive mechanisms that people use to try and keep safe or to avoid their feelings. Looking good so to avoid rejection, fearing you won’t be accepted as you are, so you try to be, look, do everything perfectly. This is exhausting. It is no wonder people end up depressed or ill, their life force is being frittered away with fear and their over reactions to it.

To clear the trauma and stop passing it onto our kids we need to become emotionally aware and savvy in processing how we feel. Learn to go within and sit inside yourself, breathe, let the emotion surface and breathe through it, let it be released, felt into completion. It can’t be avoided. It has to be acknowledged and felt. Thank the defense mechanism for keeping you safe, but choose to be present for yourself and your inner child now.

happiness inside jobIt is this inner child part of you that needs your reassurance, your love, your acceptance. It needs you to become the good parent to yourself, to know that you will look after him/her and protect her, you wil be the Adult guardian she felt was absent in earlier years. As she feels safer and you feel and release the pain, you will find you are not triggered by life any more, you can live more in the now and be there for those you love. Your children, if you have any, will notice this shift, they will feel your presence and they will absorb your love, your attention, and you can meet their emotional needs, fill up their inner cup with love so it is overflowing, then they can acept themselves and enjoy their lives.

If their cup does  not get filled and they feel empty, forlorn, they will at a soul level choose to take some of your pain, some of your trauma so you feel better and then you might be able to love them more. They abandon themselves to care for you. This is a reversal of the orders of love and is damaging for all involved. Parents are meant to give and children receive. However, it is often reversed in many families when the parents are hurt, injured or unavailable, whether that be due to illness, addiction or absence.

Children try to make the parent happier, they may try to be neater or tidier, they may help out with the housework or try to cheer the parent up with jokes, they may try to steal the attention through getting into trouble to distract you from your pain or they may even sacrifice their own health, choosing to get ill so you will focus on them and not feel your own pain. Children are so loving, but this is not healthy behaviour.

In doing this chldren miss out on being kids, they grow up way too fast and this stunts their natural growth and emotional development. It locks trauma, pain and loss within them and so the cycle repeats. When they have their own children they will sense the parent’s pain and do the same thing, hence it passes through the generations. No malice, not deliberate, done out of love, of wanting to help and of not knowing how to heal the underlying issue of emotional pain and trauma.

Thankfully in today’s world we do have the knowledge of how to heal trauma, how to bring love back into the family system and to correct any reversals of flow, so that the younger generations can receive the love and support they need and deserve from the ancestors behind them.

Family Constellations and other methods can help individuals to heal their family systems, enabling hope and love to exist for all family members. There is much more that can be said about this in future blogs, for now this is enough, to understand that trauma passes through families until love is restored.

Each family member can find peace and happiness when the blocks to love are removed. It can be done, support is available and you can learn the skills to feel your emotions and release that which is locked away inside you. It is possible, it is worth doing and your children thank you, because then they don’t need to do it for you, the burden they carry for you is transformed, freeing them to enjoy their lives more. Such love, such loyalty, such strength and commitment to each other, that is what families are about and it is beautiful. Blessed BE, Amen.

By Jodi-Anne (10 September 2016).
Personal Development

How to live life as if love is all that existed?

yellow roseLife is actually full of love, but few people see or feel this. For most people life is full of struggle and fear, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Life is full of love, it is everywhere, because it is our primal nature, it is what energy is made from.

Babies are so loving because they are still in that primal state and their vibration brings out love in us too. Being so primal all their emotions are very pure, so when they are upset we know about it and that too can pull out a matching emotion or vibration in us. Babies are in touch with their essence, their core self and as such are very magnetic energetically.

As each of us heals our hurts, our disappointments with life, our conditioning and past wrong doings, as we heal and forgive ourselves and others we too return to our core essence which is love. We feel love all around us and for all beings.

It feels so good to feel love as a predominant feeling that in time we choose it in most circumstances. We choose not to judge others and accept what is. We choose to let go and not take things personally when someone treats us less than ideally. We choose to send love and pray for others who are hurting, but don’t allow ourselves to get caught in the drama or to be a victim rescuing others. We learn to stand strong in our personal power, yet still be soft, gentle and available for all – when we choose to. We also take time to honour our self and meet our own needs. When we live in this way, with balance between self and others, between work and play, between service and self indulgence, we have inner peace and satisfaction with life, as we know we matter, our actions serve the world, and benefit all including ourselves.

Many of you put yourself last, doing everything for others, self sacrificing then wonder why you feel depleted, less than joyful or happy with life. You need to honour you. You need to fill your own cup – to meet your own needs, so you are happy and fulfilled and energised, then you can give to others freely, easily and joyfully. Doing so fills you up further rather than depletes you.

Many of you give as you don’t feel you deserve to receive or it may feel unsafe to receive. For some it is scary to receive and trust another’s presence in your life. For some independence has become so strong in them that they always have to be the BIG one and make the other the SMALL one, they act as if they are better than somehow, when really they are scared to receive and coping the only way they worked out how.

You don’t need to please others all the time to be accepted. It truly is okay to please yourself. You are allowed to treat yourself well. You are allowed to be happy, truly you are. You are allowed to do what you want. So many of you were told NO constantly as children, that you say it to yourself before you even assess whether or not you can have or do what you want. We tell you, you can have it or do it. As long as what you are doing is not hurting others have it, do it, become it.

You have a right to be happy and do what you want. You have a right to enjoy your life and live it with passion, feeling alive and vital and excited about your days. You are allowed to live life to the full. No need to accept a life of mediocrity, of survival, of just getting by. Life is here for you to make the most of it, to evolve and grow, to live and learn, to serve and love, to enjoy freedom and have fun. You truly are allowed to be in love with yourself and your life.

Most of you hate yourselves or at least doubt yourselves and your ability to earn a decent income doing what you love. You hold back out of fear, fear of embarrassment, failure, loss of self esteem, self worth, etc. This is all flawed thinking. Success is trying. Success is learning what works and doesn’t work and trying again. Success is moving forward and evolving and being of service to self and others. Success is breaking the mould and living passionately.

You can do it. You will do it and when you do you will be bathed in love and know that is all there really is in life that matters – it is matter, the material the Universe is made of – let yourself embody love, become love for self, others and life. It is who you truly are, drop into your heart and live from there. Let the mind rest and work with the heart. You can be guided forward from within if you just listen for that quiet inner voice that knows what is best for you to do, what is in line with your highest good and purpose here on Earth. Life can be full of love when you drop the veils that have been hiding the truth all along. You are love, you are loved and you are perfectly okay just as you are. Live life with passion and enjoy it. It is what you came here to do. Blessed BE. Amen.

By Jodi-Anne (01 September 2016).


American Society for Testing and Materials

As steel rolled out of mills throughout the Pennsylvania and Ohio valleys, buildings, railroads, automobiles and roadways depended on the quality of the steel products. Today, the ASTM sets standards across a wide range of markets; the organization plays a leadership role with the World Trade Organization in developing international standards which oversee industries across the globe with consensus, impartiality, and transparency. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) was established in the 1800s to work with the steel mills in Pennsylvania to regulate the production of steel used in the nation’s industrial revolution.

Elasticity, Yield, Hardness, Shear

The ASTM standards categorize steel’s properties, and measure its performance across the four characteristics: the “Modulus of Elasticity” refers to how far a piece of steel is can be deformed by applied stress and still return to its original shape, “Tensile Hardness” refers to the amount of stress that can be applied to the steel before it deforms, “Minimum Yield Stress” refers to the point at which steel will permanently deform and “Shear” applies to the amount of force the steel experiences at the point at which a piece of steel to undergo a clean break across its axis, perpendicular to the force. Each of these characteristics affects and defines steels’ strength and defines parameters engineers use to select kinds of steel for specific applications.

Carbon Steel

ASTM A106 seamless pipe
ASTM A106 Covers seamless carbon steel nominal wall pipe for high-temperature service, suitable for bending flanging and similar forming operations.

When rating steel products, the ASTM measures and rates all types of steel manufactured and supplied to industry. Six classes of carbon steel are monitored, as carbon is one of the most commonly used additives in steel manufacturing. The amount of carbon in a steel product affects the strength of the steel; steel is commonly discussed as low-carbon, medium-carbon and high-carbon, but the ASTM breaks down those categories even further, since steel with a higher carbon content can be tempered to greater strengths than low-carbon steel.

Alloy Steel

ASTM A333 Pipe
ASTM A333 Pipe shall be made by the seamless or welding process with the addition of no filler metal in the welding operation.

Steel is also classified as alloy steel when metals other than carbon are added to the molten iron to improve the performance characteristics of the metal. The ASTM identifies seven classes of alloy steel forgings; the details of classifications include the percent and type of alloy content, heat treating procedures which affect each type of alloy and the mechanical properties of each. These properties are measured, classified and tracked in detail for each of the steel alloys.

Forged, Cast and Rolled

Once iron is in a molten state, it’s processed hundreds of ways as it’s converted into usable steel products. Each process affects the strength of the product, and therefore affects its usefulness and reliability for specific applications. Steel is cast or poured as molten iron into molds like hot wax, and allowed to cool into pipes, fittings, engine blocks, etc. Structural and sheet steels are rolled into many shapes, beams, bars and coils and shipped to manufacturing plants around the country. The ASTM sets guidelines for all these products so that purchasers are assured they receive the steel specifically designed for their application.

Heat-treated and Non-treated

Steel can either be heat treated or not, and the ASTM guidelines cover the details of the treatment process and set a hardness scale. Heat-treated steel is more rigid and stronger across the four categories listed above, and also removes the internal stresses and weaknesses which are part of the steel as a result of the shaping processing. Heat-treating is characterized by over 50 different terms which describe the internal changes, how the steel acts and the steel’s appearance after the treatments.

Relation information of steel:

PDFView the PDF catalogue of ASTM standard classifications for Steel


OPM Accepted Disabling Conditions: Suicidal Ideations

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

Disability Retirement for Federal Workers: The Danger of Malleable Concepts

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

Federal and Postal Disability Retirement: Stress & the Workplace

Taking off from work for a few days because of “stress” may be entirely appropriate; basing a Federal Disability Retirement application through the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, whether under FERS or CSRS, upon a “stress claim” may not be the most effective way of formulating one’s case.

Stress is a pervasive factor in all employment atmospheres; whether resulting from overly demanding supervisors, or the self-imposition of time and due-dates, stress is a daily occurrence and reality of the modern technological world.  If we ever thought or believed that technology would reduce the burden of stress, we have been sorely mistaken; for, in this world where instantaneous responses are expected, where emails are sent and received within the blink of a button being pushed; where smartphones hound you with texts and emails; where phone calls and faxes are merely afterthoughts in the business world; stress is an inherent aspect and element in all workplaces.

How one deals with stress; the varying tolerance levels particularized to individual personalities; the level of trigger-points which result in tertiary and consequential medical conditions — it is the latter which must be focused upon when preparing, formulating and filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. For, while stress itself may not be an acceptable basis for a Federal Disability Retirement application, the resulting medical conditions which manifest themselves as a result of stress likely are.

In the end, attempting to create a stress-free environment is in itself a stressful venture; and one which is not likely to succeed.  Similarly, while stress itself may not be a valid basis for a Federal Disability Retirement case, the medical consequences of stress are likely the foundational basis of an effective application for Federal Disability Retirement benefits, whether under FERS or CSRS, submitted to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

Federal Worker Disability Retirement: The Gatekeeper of Stress

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

OPM Disability Retirement: The World in Which We Live

Various social commentators have observed the contradiction that, while we live in an increasingly global economy, individuals feel a greater sense of isolation; thus, the conundrum that the world is no longer an expansive, unreachable universe, but in private lives, the uniqueness of the individual is lost and forgotten.

Whether because of the stresses of isolation, or because of the fast-paced, technologically-driven world in which we live, or some organic-based reasons, one may never know; nevertheless, the exponential explosion of psychiatric illnesses erupting in our society cannot be denied.

There was a time, perhaps a decade or so ago, when a stigma was attached to medical conditions and disabilities which were deemed “stress-related“, and which encompassed depression, anxiety, uncontrollable panic attacks, agoraphobia, etc.  One cannot mark a clear demarcation of when the approach and societal attitude, let alone the medical community’s acceptance, of the wide array of psychiatric conditions, changed.

For Federal Disability Retirement purposes, however, the level of approvals versus denials between cases involving psychiatric conditions, as opposed to purely physical medical conditions, has become indistinguishable.  The U.S. Office of Personnel Management does not review or analyze cases based upon psychiatric conditions — so long as one can tell, purely from an “outsider’s” perspective — any differently from “physical” medical conditions.

This is obviously a “good” thing, because psychiatric medical conditions are just as valid, serious, “real”, and devastating, as the most serious of “physical” medical conditions.  The world in which we live has certainly changed; OPM has evolved with the new world, and we are all the better off for it.

Robert R. McGill, Esquire

Federal Employee Medical Retirement: Claims of Stress

“Stress”is a phrase which is used to describe a myriad of conditions, circumstances and origins of countless medical conditions.  The word itself is malleable and elastic, and can be used in multiple forms — as an adjective, noun, verb, etc.  As a term of common usage to describe the workplace, it is accepted as an inherent part of any job encapsulating a set of responsibilities, because of the accompaniment of positional duties, time management, goal-orientation, and working cooperatively with others in unison and common coordination of efforts.

In the context of preparing, formulating and filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits under FERS or CSRS from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, the term itself will appear repeatedly throughout — in medical reports, in an Applicant’s Statement of Disability, and even in a Supervisor’s Statement.

In most circumstances, the term “stress” is used in a grammatically loose sense, and as a secondary identifier of a medical condition, as opposed to a primary diagnosis of a medical condition.  To assert that one “suffers from stress” is a generalization which normally requires greater particulars, and rather describes one in a series of multiple symptoms rather than a conceptually clear diagnosis which is accepted in the medical community.

Moreover, such a statement implies that the “sufferer” of the “stress” receives such a condition and is responding to a particular source of such suffering — i.e., a specific workplace.  This is where “situational disability” is then alleged, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management will deny a Federal Disability Retirement application based upon such an assumption and implication.

There are ways to counter such assertions, implications and inferences, but such inoculation against such a charge must be addressed at the outset, not in the middle (although, in most cases, such mistakes can indeed be corrected), of preparing, formulating and filing for Federal Disability Retirement benefits from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Robert R. McGill, Esquire


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Ground Controller Lvl 1
Message 1 of 3

program to evaluate postfix expression

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i am trying to write a program to evaluate postfix expression. i can't find any error in the code.

but when run it is giving segmentation fault.

someone please explain.especially explain if statement of while loop.

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Community Manager
Message 2 of 3

Re: program to evaluate postfix expression

Hi @saurabh2391,

As you’ll notice, your topic is now here in the Programming Help and Discussion board. No action is needed on your part; you can continue the conversation as normal here.

Thank you for your perspective and your contribution!
All the Best

Commander Lvl 2
Message 3 of 3

Re: program to evaluate postfix expression

You didn't provide an example of a postfix expression you are trying to evaluate. So I can merely guess based on code review.

Problem 1: your numbers are limited to single characters. Line 22 pushes a single character, not a number. E.g.

if your code was working, this postfix expression: "12 4 +" would give you an answer of "6". The current code pushes '1', then '2', then '4', then pops '4' and '2' to add them.

Problem 2: you are mixing characters (e.g. '1', '2', '4') and numbers. Your stack is declared "stack<char>" but then you pop operand1 / operand2, or push result, and they are integers, not characters.  So lets say your postfix expression is "9 2 *". The character '9'

Both problems would be solved if you:

- change your operation variable to "stack<int>"

- when reading digits, convert them to ints

This looks like a good tutorial on postfix.


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Hi everyone, today we are going to learn how to configure a product with custom text font, font colours, etc with live preview. does it sound exciting? without further ado let’s get straight into it.

I hope you already have installed the Product personalizer app from shopify, if not go to shopify appstore (apss.shopify.com) and serach “product Personalizer” and add it.

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Here we are configuring a Owl sidekick Backpack. to configure we Primarily need a background image, ideal background resolution is 1000 x 1000 px

after Selecting the background image , we are adding a text field, putting a default value EVELYN and selecting the font. and placing it nice hwere we want our customer to customize it.adjusting the font size

We can create a font group, by uploading. Here the name of the font will be automitaclly filled .

After creating font group to the font color settings, and set default font color aaaaas pink?

we can create a color group, adding multiple color as we want. here i am adding pink, blue , and red .

Save personalization :with personalize image, and button with with pop up or direct field.

Let us previews this

Changing fonts, changing color, everything works fine

Thansk you for watching the video.